@A Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 Feather River Bulletin
COLLEGE, from page 7A
to Butte, Lassen or Truckee
Meadows three times a week,
which all of us can attest to that
these are not fun drives in winter.
But they're doing it because they
cannot fred classes that suit their
needs to take on campus. And
these aren't esoteric classes. These
are math classes, English classes,
these are basics that they're
traveling to other places for."
McNett said he thinks FRC does
an excellent job of recruiting local
students from throughout the
county.
"We have 202 first-year
California students at FRC so far
this year and of those, 66 are from
Plumas County. That's an
exceptional number; it used to be
that we had trouble recruiting
people to come to Plumas County
and go to FRC. I don't believe
that's the case anymore."
McNett cited extensive outreach
efforts by the college to all
communities countywide.
McNett explained that
"embedded" programs and
services with outreach specialist
counselors, like the Outward
Bound program, help the college
to contact students and show them
what FRC has to offer. He added,
"We are reaching out to those
kids. They need all the help they
can get and they're getting it from
FRC."
What do you consider to be
your major contributions to the
FRC Board of Trustees?
As the incumbent, McNett
talked about his commitment to
Plumas County and said, "I spent
30 years in the mill up in Chester
and I have a bachelor of science
degree in industrial engineering. I
think those qualifications help me
in working with the board. I have
a different perspective than say,
somebody who has a doctorate in
education. I'm an approachable
person. People will sit down with
me, and if we disagree, we'll talk
about the situation and how we
might approach that."
He mentioned his strong
feelings about the college, various
programs he is committed to both
within and outside of the athletic
departments, and talked about
what FRC contributes to the
community.
"We have over 300 student
athletes out there," he explained.
"I've made it really clear on the
board that as long as our emphasis
continues to be on the "student"
part of our student-athletes that
they'll have my support. So we are
emphasizing the importance of
these students getting their
education. Last spring, we had 160
student-athletes who were
recognized for earning over 3.0
GPAs. I'm proud to be part of a
school that does that."
If elected, what do you consider
will be your major contribution
to the FRC Board?
Challenging McNett for the
Area 4 trustee' seat, Garcia said, "I
think first and foremost, my
experience with community
colleges lends me to say the
following. I would love to see a
great integration of students,
teachers and staff all working with
dignity and respect. If my legacy
was part of bringing that to the
college, that would be wonderful."
She also focused on one of her
top issues about bringing
accountability and transparency
to the board.
"It is so vital in our institutions
that the president of a college and
the board have some checks and
balances on each other," Garcia
explained. "I also want to work
diligently on the housing crisis for
the students. I haven't worked
there for three years and I still get
calls from the students whether
it be for letters of recommendation
or calls for support saying they
can't take it and they have to
leave, 'Thank you for helping me
stay longer.' I want to make it so
those calls of desperation no
longer happen."
At that point in the forum,
Supervisor Simpson asked Garcia,
"So Margaret, you had
something about the president
of the college making a power
grab. Can you explain what you
were concerned about?"
Garcia replied by explaining
her understanding of recent
efforts by FRC President Dr. Kevin
Trutna to bring a procedural issue
before the board of trustees for a
policy vote.
"He was not able to get this
passed in the academic senate and
would like to make it so that the
public can no longer bring things
directly to the board," Garcia said.
"I fred it really disturbing
colleges only work if there is
consensus, if classified staffhave a
voice, if teachers have a voice, if
students have a voice and the
board does. There is a collective of
voices (to be heard) and that's how
big decisions are supposed to be
made. I want us all as community
members, who may or may not
take classes, to be able to bring
things to the board."
McNett responded, "I'm sorry
folks, this is misinformation. Our
board policies are based on the
Education Code. If it has
some ing to do with and is,
germane to the operation of the
college, then it can come before
the board as an agenda item.
There's a process tt has to go
through. Anybody at the
beginning (of the board meetings)
can make a public comment."
The process requires a written
justification for denying access,
McNett said, which allows the
trustees to overturn that denial ff
they so choose.
"So, we're not talking about a
power grab at all," McNett stated.
REQUEST FOR BIDS
Plumas County Social Services
is accepting bids for:
One mid- to full-size SUV
AND
One All-wheel drive (AWD) Mini-Van.
Bid Close Date: Oct. 19, 2018, at 5 p.m.
For complete details, visit:
http://countyofplu mas.com/bids.aspx
"That authority does not rest
totally with the president of the
college. Actually, the bottom line
is with the board. So it's not a case
of unilaterally deciding what's
going to be heard and what's not
going to be heard. It's simply not
true and not the case."
Offered a moment to rebut,
Garcia said, "It absolutely is the
cpse. The academic senate would
not have fought this so hard ff
they did not think it was
important to fight. And I agree
with Guy in one respect that the
board and the president are
separate. But if you have a board
that only votes behind whatever
the president says, then you don't
have that separation. That's
what's concerning me, that
currently there is no separation."
McNett then discussed the FRC
governance structure with 24
separate committees that debate
issues in their particular areas,
eventually moving issues to the
president's cabinet for a
recommendation to the board.
"So it's not as though there isn't
transparency there," he said.
"You've had people who were
involved in that process all the
way through. Now you might not
have all those people in
agreement, but it's still up to the
board to make a decision."
Over the years, sports have
increased versus core
academics. Do you see that as a
problem or is it balanced
enough?
Garcia said she did not think
sports are detrimental to FRC and
the success of each program has to
do with the coaches working with
instructional staff and how well
they promote academics. She said
that when coaches instill
academic standards, students do
well in their classes.
"I would like to see a unified
approach to student-athlete
education," Garcia noted and
touched upon issues related to
remedial education (for all groups
of students). "This is at the
expense of higher-achieving
students who leave to take
higher-level courses that are not
offered at the college."
McNett said the California
Community College system has
begun cutting back significantly
on remedialprograms, so there
aren't as many remedial math and
English classes anymore, but
cautioned the public to remember
that community colleges have an
open enrollment system.
"Not every student arrives
prepared for the level of work, but
we still have to serve all of our
students," he said and added that
FRC's mission includes raising
students' skills to be able to do
college-level work.
"I'd like to add that we have to
be able to continue to draw people
into our area and sports is an
important part of that," McNett
also said. "We had a pitcher who
got picked up by the Cleveland
Indians. He got his start at FRC,
though that's an anomaly. But for
instance, volleyball players go on
and get scholarships to four-year
schools so the sport is a way they
can continue their education and
do something fun. As long as we
continue to stay focused on the
student part of our
student-athletes, and have 160 kids
earning 3.0 GPAs or higher, we'll
do just fine."
Featuring Dr. Jeff Kepple & Natalie (Kepple) Hagwood
Join us for a fun family concert
Saturday night, October 20th!
At 6 pm a free dinner starts (while supplies last)
The concert benefitting the Northern California Fire Victims begins at 7 pm
The music flowing from Jeff's heart dr!ves a genre-bendinlg acgustic repe~oire of folk, j.azz and
sacrea composk,ons reminaing us ox now we snould ~.reazeacn omer - w!tn respect ana grace
in our tones, with rhythm and timing in our woras as we race oack mwara oeauty.
IPI ke Ch Baptist Church 1
checks payable to: PO Box 559
Chester, CA 96020
memo: Disaster relief
For more information feel free to call
Chester Baptist Church at 258-23@4
210 Myrtle Street, Chester, CA
Victoria Metcalf
Assistant Editor
vmetcalf@plumasnews.com
Members of the Plumas
County Board of Supervisors
approved a proclamation
declaring October as
Domestic Violence
Awareness Month.
Two representatives of
Plumas Rural Services
Domestic Violence Services
were available Tuesday, Oct.
9, to read a proclamation to
the board and seek
supervisors' official
approval.
Tamara Atkins-Carpenter,
legal advocate, read the
proclamation, while Program
Coordinator Elizabeth Page
answered questions from
supervisors.
"Thank you for work
you do," said Supervisor Lori
Simpson. "I know it's very
important."
While Supervisor Sherrie
Thrall seconded that, she
asked the two women if more
events could be done outside
Quincy. "i noticed activities
in Quincy and domestic
violence knows no physical
boundaries."
Thrall went on to say that
she's aware of people in the
Chester/Lake Almanor area
who couldn't come all the
way to Quincy to participate
in activities such as the
recent Color Run with pets
that was held. Thrall added
that some of the people she
has in mind don't have
transportation.
Page agreed with Thrall's
suggestion and said her
program would make an
effort to do more in other
communities.
The facts
In the past 12 months
(October 2017 to October
2018), 122 clients have been
served by PRS Domestic
Violence Services, said
Atkins-Carpenter. "Notably,
there are many more who
have not come forward to
seek help," she said.
One in every three
teenagers is involved in
domestic violence, according
to statistics from the National
Coalition Against Domestic
Violence. One in every four
women and one in every six
men will experience it during
their lifetime, according to
the recent proclamation.
Approximately 15.5 million
children are exposed to
domestic violence every year,
Atkins-Carpenter said
According to the
proclamation, domestic
violence violates an
individual's privacy and
dignity, security and
humanity, due to systematic
use of physical, emotional, ,
sexual, psychological and
economic control and/or
abuse, including to children;
pets and the elderly,
Atkins-Carpenter noted.
"Domestic violence is
widespread and is
devastating to society as a
whole," she stated.
And the problem isn't
confined to one particular
group or groups of people. It
crosses all economic, racial,
gender, educational, religious
and societal barriers and is
sustained by societal
indifference.
As an aside, Page said that
more men are willing to
report a partner who is
abusive. The stigma that men
should put up with being
abused is changing, she
added.
"The survivors of violence
should have access to
medical and legal services,
counseling, safe housing and
other supportive services so
that they can escape the cycle
of abuse," Atkins-Carpenter
said.
Local programs such as the
one at PRS, are backed by
state coalitions, national
organizations and
nationwide efforts by other
agencies. These groups are
committed to increasing
public awareness of domestic
violence. It is prevalent
throughout society and the
only way to eliminate
domestic violence is through
education and prevention
efforts.
"It is important to
recognize the compassion
and dedication of the
individuals who provide
services to victims of
domestic violence and work
to increase public
understanding of this
significant problem,"
Atkins-Carpenter said.
Following the
proclamation reading,
Supervisor Michael Sanchez
said, "Don't forget the
schools," as the two women
outlined their services and
activities.
Page said they include
their tear-off sheets in
bathrooms in the schools --
much like the do in other
agencies and facilities,
including some businesses --
but she added they could
branch out a little better.
Simpson agreed saying that
relationships teens' form can
be very abusive. "We are in
the schools, just at a different
level," Page said.
Page added that her
program also offers the
52-week batterers'
intervention program
through the courts.
PUSD Continues to Solicit Applicants for its
Measure B Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee
The Plumas Unified School District is accepting applications for its
Measure B Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee.
The committee's mission is to review expenditures to ensure they are within the
scope of the measure and inform the public on the progress of bond-supported
school construction projects. This is a Board-approved advisory committee,
which meets quarterly.
The committee needs applicants who represent the following:
Business organization representing the business community located
within the district
Senior citizens' organization
Bona fide taxpayers' organization - VACANCY
Parent or guardian of student currently enrolled in the District -
VACANCY
Parent-teacher organization such as Parent Teacher Association or
Schoolsite council (must also be a parent or guardian of a student
currently enrolled in the District)
Member of the community at-large
Committee members serve a maximum of three consecutive two-year terms.
Interested residents of the district are encouraged to complete and return an
application. Bond Oversight Committee applications may be obtained by visiting
our website: http://www.pcoe.kl 2.ca.us/pages/Plumas Unified, at the district
office located at 1446 E. Main Street, Quincy or by calling 530-283-6500 ext.
5214. Applications will be accepted until all seats are filled.
The Board will approve committee appointments from the pool of
applications submitted.
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